Help Zippers Are Drying Out

[amyrains]

HELP! first off with this hatch...chicks started to hatch 2 days before hatch date...but now i went to town and came back to find all the ones that have started to zip are drying out to fast....i helped one out but i dont think it will make it....is there anything i should do to keep the rest of my 20 baby to be chicks from dying? i had a wet rag already in it along with water....should i spray them with water?

 

[FenDruadin]

Hello, and welcome!

First of all, what makes you think they're drying out? When you say they've "started to zip," what does that mean exactly? A lot of times, folks think the bird is ready to hatch and get scared when it takes a long time. It can take 24-48 hours to go from the first little pip hole to fully hatching. More details will help us help you.

I'm sorry to hear about the little one you helped. How is he doing?

I wouldn't spray them with water--you risk getting them too wet and drowning them. But you can add more humidity by adding additional rags wet with WARM water. Just be careful not to make the water too hot or you can cause a temporary temperature spike. Cold water is even worse because it causes the incubator temp to drop until the water warms up. Warm to touch is usually about right.

Sorry I can't give more detailed advice, but if you'll post more details about the situation, perhaps someone can help.

 

[amyrains]

most of the eggs started with a small crack yesterday morning...and then some have started to chip away all the way around the shell..but when i look at them the membrane is stuck to the feathers...and is not clear anymore. the one i helped out was all the way open but he could no longer move because of the membrane. the "fuzz came off with the small top part of the egg...i am trying to be very understanding in this process and not open or "mess" with them but i dont want them to die if i could be doing sumthing else to help. i have added more wet rags so....maybe plz plz plz just maybe they will make it. he is just laying there but not breathing to good.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

What is your humidity? If it's not at least 65% and you can't get it up any higher, I would get a spray bottle of very warm water and put it on the finest mist you can. Quickly raise the lid on one side and give it a good spray, then quickly close the lid back. If there is a vent hole that you can spray through, that's even better. There's no reason to think they will drown with a very fine mist.

Sometimes my humidity is as high as 85% during hatching and that's fine with me. It should go up when they start hatching because they are wet.

Remember that each time you open the incubator you are losing precious humidity.

 

[emvickrey]

What I do is I first try to free them by dabbing a bit of warm water with my finger onto the spots that are stuck then I use the pointy end of a metal fingernail file and very carefully work the membrane loose. If that don't work I get a wash cloth damp with warm water and I loosely wrap the egg in it for a few minutes then try with the fingernail file again. This always works if they are really stuck. As soon as I get them un-stuck I put them back in the bator to let them finish the job. The damp cloth in the bator will raise the humidity very high and possibly drown any chicks still in eggs. I've had this happen. I generally keep my humidity down below 60. But that's what works for me and it doesn't mean it will work for everybody.

Good luck and be very careful not to poke the chick with the file. My file is an old one and the end isn't to pointy.

 

[jen5680]

When mine get stuck like that I will take all of the shell and membrane off but the bottom half as long as the veins aren't bleeding. If the membrane is stuck to them I wash it off with warm water but still leave them in the bottom of the shell. I just make sure that they have there head out and I haven't lost any from doing it like this.

 

[FenDruadin]

What you are describing actually sounds normal to me, not like they are shrink-wrapped. As the baby begins to zip around the top, the membrane at the edges will naturally dry out and look white. The part that shrink-wraps is *inside* the egg and you wouldn't be able to see it--the babies would just get stuck and stop making progress. When this happens, you have up to three days before they will die in there--they have just finished storing up the energy from the yolk and won't need to eat or drink for a long time, so you are far better off giving them time and waiting than trying to help too soon.

You said that they are zipping around the egg--how long are you giving them to complete the process? In ducks it can take several hours, although in chickens I think it is a little faster. If they start to zip and then stop making progress for several hours, that is when you should interfere.

The one that you helped--did it still have yolk hanging out of its belly, or was it fully absorbed?

Also, how is your temp? Is it possible that it's too hot in there? That would cause them to get exhausted and to breathe poorly and possibly get stuck in their shells from heat exhaustion.

I don't understand what you mean by the "fuzz" came off with the top part of the egg. First of all, the small end of the egg is the bottom... you don't have them upside down, do you? And do you mean the fuzz on the chick's head? Did it come off the chick's head?

Sorry if I'm not helping much, but so far I'm not sure I understand the problem very clearly. It sounds pretty much like normal, unless they are starting to zip and then not making progress for several hours at a time. But if they are just taking a long time--that's totally normal.

If you helped the one out too soon, it will be weak at first because it won't have had a chance to absorb its yolk sac, and may have lost blood during the process (did the membrane bleed while you were helping?). But unless there's something wrong with it other than the early hatch, it should be fine. On the other hand, it's also possible there's something else going on here--disease, or congenital problems, etc. But I suspect it's just a slow but normal process...

 

[amyrains]

im am very new to all this so i have a hard time making myself clear (sorry)...when i said "fuzz" i was talking about the feathers i guess..and they came off what i think was its back..maybe...i have all the eggs sitting with the large end up unless they have fell over on their own. there was nothing hanging from the one i helped and no bleeding whrn i took the shell off but it was just REALLY REALLY stuck...and yall are very right this could all be normal an im just a ninny! i dont have a way to check the humidity but that problem will not happen again as now i can see how emportany that is. The temp has been around 100 to 100.5 still air...and there is so much moisture in it that i can see water on the lid...Yall have all been a great help with this and ill keep yall posted...so far he is still laying there hasnt moved at all no sound but he is still breathing but very slow compaired to the other ones. one more thing..he is very large could that have sumthing to do with it? thanks again everyone

 

[emvickrey]

I'm willing to bet your humidity is way too high and that's why the chick is so large. It's swollen from too much moisture. I'm guessing your humidity is above 90% since there is moisture on the lid. Unless there is somebody that suggests not to, I would let some of it out. And before you do another hatch get yourself a hydrometer. Walmart has them for about 7 bucks. They are a thermometer and hydrometer in one which is what you need and it's digital. At our store they have them on the same isle as the expandable screens you would put in a window of your home.

The chicks can drown with too high humidity. I'm surprised it's stuck to the membrane. Maybe it's just so large is why it's stuck. Can you post pics?

 

[burquechick]

I thought it was called a "hygrometer". Just wanting to check.